


Nightmares and Daydreams

by Rionaa



Category: Wolfblood (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-20
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-03-31 11:15:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 11,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3976024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rionaa/pseuds/Rionaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhydian comes to find Maddy in Canada, but gets attacked a few miles from the Smiths new house, in the middle of the night. Tagged as graphic violence just to be on the safe side because there is a scene involving violence, and I'm not sure when violence becomes graphic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Not for the first time since leaving for Canada, Maddy found herself sitting bolt upright in bed, screaming and covered in sweat. She had been having a nightmare. It was like the others, except this time, it was more vivid.

Rhydian, dragging himself through the woods, clothes torn and dirty, his leg badly broken.

Rhydian, lying on the ground, blood pooling around his head, eyes closed, skin pale.

Rhydian, hanging upside down from a tree, caught in a trap.

Rhydian... All was blackness, but she knew Rhydian was there. This was the worst by far, because it meant he was... No. She couldn't even think it.

This time though, it had been different. Rhydian was in clearer focus, surrounded by a pack of wild wolfbloods. The ground had been covered in snow, and... Blood... He had been carrying a large rucksack, which was now thrown aside, and he was turning warily, trying to keep an eye on each of the opposing wolfbloods at once.   
Suddenly, two of the pack pounced. Rhydian went under, but resurfaced in wolf form, fully grown and snarling. He lunged at one of his attackers, catching its back leg in his teeth. It yelped and limped away to nurse its wound. The other wolfblood he was facing leapt on his back. He shook it off, but not before it had ripped a chunk of flesh out of his neck. 

He growled at the wolfblood on the ground, who was struggling to get away, then turned to face the rest of the pack. The other wolfbloods seemed more wary of attacking him now. 

Then one of the braver individuals ran forward. Rhydian swatted it aside, and it landed hard on the snow covered earth. It shook its head, confused, but then it got to its feet and charged at Rhydian again. 

Taken off guard by this quick recovery, Rhydian was knocked to the ground. Heartened by their fellow's success, the rest off the pack joined in the fight.

Maddy couldn't see exactly what went on, but when the fight concluded after a few minutes, she saw Rhydian lying on the snow, which was now stained scarlet. 

She didn't need telling what she had to do. Somehow, instinctively, she knew where she would find Rhydian. 

It took her three quarters of an hour to find the spot where Rhydian lay, now back in human form.

"Rhydian!" She called, desperately, kneeling beside his head.

"Maddy..." His voice was barely a whisper, the effort of speaking was clearly costing him a great deal. "I tried to find you..."

"No, no don't try and talk, we're going to get you out of this, you're going to be okay..." Tears were falling down her cheeks. If this was real, did that mean all her other dreams were true as well?

"Maddy!" Maddy's head snapped up.

"Mam? Dad?"

"What happened? Rhydian?"

"Hi Mrs S..." Rhydian tried to lift his head but fell back, his face contorting with pain.

"He... He was attacked... I saw it! And I went to find him and... There he was... How did you find me?"

"You're not as stealthy as you think you know..." Emma said, her eyes twinkling as she looked at her daughter. Rhydian groaned. Maddy and her parents turned to face him. His fave was now almost deathly pale. Maddy knew if they didn't do something soon, he could die.

"Mam... Do something! He's bleeding out..."

"We need to get him back to the house... Rhydian, do you think you could transform? You'll be easier to carry as a wolf, we'll be able to get you there quicker." Rhydian nodded and with an effort, changed into the wolf. The effort seemed to cost him the little strength he had left, and he lay limp and unmoving on the snow. 

"Rhydian!" Maddy screamed. She looked up at Emma for help.

"Dan, do you think you can carry him?" Daniel nodded and bent to gently lift Rhydian up. As quickly as they could, they made their way back to the house, knowing that as fast as they could make it, it might be too long for Rhydian.

 

It took them a little over an hour to get home. Although they knew exactly where they were going now, Dan was impeded by the weight of Rhydian in his arms, and trying not to jolt the injured wolfblood, he had to watch his step more carefully.

Once they arrived back at the house, Dan laid Rhydian on the kitchen table while Emma ran for her bag of medical supplies. Maddy sat beside Rhydian and urged him to transform back into a human. He was barely conscious but he managed it. She stroked his hair while he groaned, semiconscious. Emma tore back down the stairs, clutching her bag.

"Good thing I was trained for this..." She muttered under her breath, "Maddy, can you get a bowl of clean water, I'm going to need you to clean up some of these wounds. 

Reluctantly, Maddy left the table and filled a bowl with warm water. Meanwhile, Emma had cut off Rhydian's jacket and shirt and was inspecting his wounds. Even seeing him injured and bleeding, Maddy couldn't help but be impressed at how toned his upper body muscles were.

She set the bowl down on the table, grabbed a couple of swabs from her mothers bag and began dabbing at Rhydian's wounds, cleaning the areas around them. He moaned in protest.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered, as she kept cleaning. Emma pulled out a bottle of surgical spirit and began pouring the liquid out over the wounds Maddy had cleaned. Rhydian groaned again and writhed a little on the table as the liquid stung his exposed wounds.

Once all the blood was cleaned up, Maddy returned to stroking Rhydian's hair and whispering comforting words in his ear.

Maddy's mother pulled out a sterile needle and a length of surgical thread and began to stitch Rhydian's wounds closed. Most difficult was the slash across his cheek. She tried to do as neat a job as possible, but she knew it would leave a scar.

Once all his wounds were closed, Maddy helped her mother to wrap bandages around Rhydian's torso. Once they had finished, she looked up at her mother.

"Will Rhydian be okay?"

"We've done all we can for him. Its up to him now. If he makes it to the full moon in a few days time, he'll make a full recovery." Maddy nodded and swallowed nervously.

"Can I stay with him?"

"Of course." Her mother smiled and left the kitchen. Maddy resumed her seat by Rhydian's head, not caring that she was covered in his blood, and took his hand. She felt a slight pressure from his fingers before he slipped finally into unconsciousness.

 

As the sun began to rise a few hours later, Maddy was still sitting in the chair beside the kitchen table. Exhausted from the nights events, she was now sleeping soundly. Emma and Daniel stood in the doorway.

"He can't stay on the table, we'll need to move him."

"Where to? We dont have any spare beds, Dan..."

"I'm sure Maddy won't mind if he sleeps in hers for a while, until I can knock him up one of his own..."

"But then where will Maddy sleep?"

"Oh, I didn't say she needed to give up her bed!" Emma swatted her husband on the arm, grinning all the same, as they watched the two youngest members of their pack sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Rhydian slept until late afternoon. Maddy stayed at his side almost constantly, watching his chest rise and fall softly. Dan had moved him to her bed in the morning, causing him to stir slightly, moaning in pain, but he had returned to his unconscious state withing minutes. 

Emma and Daniel had returned to the site where they had found Rhydian and retrieved his backpack, now rather bloodstained, but still intact.

Maddy had spent most of the day aimlessly picking up things in her room and moving them around, under the pretext of tidying in order to make it more suitable for Rhydian to recover. Emma looked in a couple of times and asked if she wanted to do something else, but she didn't press the subject, as though she knew why Maddy wanted to remain in the room.

At a quarter to six, Rhydian's breathing pattern changed. Maddy, who had her back turned at the time, rearranging her bookshelf for the third time, whirled around, wide eyed.

"Rhydian?"

"Hey..." He breathed, smiling at her.

"Rhydian!" She knelt by his head and wrapped her arms around his neck, "you're alive..."

"Of course I'm alive!" He said, grinning.

"I thought... For a moment I thought..." She choked up, unable to go on.

"Hey, hey I'm okay!" He said in surprise as her eyes welled up with tears.

"I love you Rhydian!" She choked out, finally, "I love you, and I never want to be without you. I never want to leave you again." He smiled as he reached up with a bruised arm to stroke her hair as she muffled her sobs in his shoulder.

"I love you too, Maddy, and believe me when I say I'm never letting you go again. Not without me."


	3. Chapter 3

Over the next few days, Rhydian steadily improved, and as the full moon approached, he eventually regained enough strength to stand outside and watch as it broke over the treetops.

"Really, I dont think you could have found a better place to live." He commented to Maddy as she stood beside him with her arm around his waist for support. She smiled.

"I think it's dull," she replied, "I'd much rather be back in Stonybridge." He looked at her in surprise. This was the first time she had mentioned their old home. 

"Oh yeah?" He questioned. She looked up at him, and he could see her eyes turn yellow.

"I'll tell ya later!" She grinned just before she transformed into her wolf. Rhydian laughed and followed suit. He could feel his injuries heal as his body changed shape, cracked bones melding together as they elongated or shrank, skin knitting back together as fur grew from every pore. He lifted his head and howled joyfully at the moon before bounding after Maddy into the woods.

The next day, Rhydian was a changed person. He practically ran around the house, laughing at everything and grinning constantly. It made Maddy laugh just to see him so happy. When Emma asked him to help her prepare dinner, he did so happily, chatting constantly as he laid out knives and forks.

Just before they ate, Emma pulled Maddy aside, frowning slightly.

"Is there something wrong?" Emma asked Maddy. Maddy frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I've never seen Rhydian like this, I thought maybe something had happened between you." Maddy rolled her eyes.

"Mam, he's HAPPY." Emma looked unconvinced, but returned to the stove just the same.

Once all four wolfbloods were seated around the table, Rhydian spoke, his voice suddenly serious.

"Look, I just want to thank all of you for... For saving my life." Emma and Daniel looked at him, surprised.

"Rhydian, you dont have to thank us." Said Daniel, matching his tone in seriousness. "We're your pack, we'll always help you when you need it." Rhydian smiled at him.

"Thank you. Being a pack... There's still so much I have to learn!" Maddy pushed him playfully.

"Come on Rhydian! You know what being in a pack means! You'd do anything for us, I know you would! And we'd risk anything for you. I can promise you that." Rhydian looked around at the faces he knew so well, and for the first time in his life, he knew there was nowhere else he would rather be, than here, with his pack... With Maddy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***warning***
> 
> This chapter contains sex references. It's not descriptive but I'm putting a warning just to be on the safe side.

Over the next few weeks, Rhydian settled into life with the Smiths quite comfortably. Every few days, they went out hunting. If they brought down something large like a deer, they would have meat for days, if they only caught rabbits or other small creatures, they would have to hunt again sooner, but Rhydian loved it all the same. He relished the thrill of the chase, running with his pack, working as a team to bring home their food. 

Once Rhydian had healed, he had helped Daniel to build an extra wing onto the house for himself to live in. He had thrown himself into the work with gusto, proud that he was able to do something so productive and helpful, glad for the chance to prove himself and show his gratitude to his pack. 

On the night after the full moon, Maddy and Rhydian had gone to bed together. As Daniel had not quite finished building a makeshift bed for Rhydian, they had both had to squeeze into Maddy's narrow cot bed. Emma hadn't been entirely convinced of this turn of events, but Maddy had assured her that Rhydian wouldn't do anything that she wasn't comfortable with. Maddy, however, was comfortable with anything. That night, they spent hours together, closer than they had ever been, and when they awoke the next day, it was with pleased expressions and a feeling of accomplishment shared between them.


	5. Chapter 5

Maddy watched fondly as her father and Rhydian worked together, sealing the roof on the new wing of the house. Her mother walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. 

“You really do love him, don't you.” Maddy nodded. 

“I really do. He means everything to me.” She looked round, anxious to see her mothers reaction. To her surprise, Emma nodded. 

“I can see that now. All those times... when I said... about Rhydian... I'm sorry.” Maddy smiled. 

“It's okay. So does this mean...” she grinned mischievously. Emma raised her eyebrows. 

“Once Rhydian has his own room, you will still have yours.” She turned and strode away. Maddy scowled after her. 

Rhydian walked over to her, breathing slightly heavier than usual, his face flushed and sweaty, a broad grin on his face. 

“You alright?” She nodded. 

“Mam said she could see we were right for each other!” He beamed down at her. 

“That's great! Is... isn't it?” she nodded again, still looking sullen. 

“What is it?” 

“I...” She sighed. “I don't know. I just feel all wrong. Sort of itchy all over like I'm about to transform but the full moon's not til next week.” He frowned. 

“Have you told your mum about this?” She shook her head. 

“No... Do you think I should?” 

“I don't know... You don't think your mother could have accidentally put some aconite in the stew we had last night?” Maddy shook her head, frowning. 

“Mam knows her herbs and plants. Besides, none of you are feeling like this are you?” 

“Well now that you mention it I-” 

“No, Rhydian, you're not. I... I need to go inside.” She turned and re-entered the house. 

“Maddy, Maddy wait...” Rhydian sighed and jogged after her. 

 

Maddy went to her room and slammed the door closed. Rhydian pulled up before it, feeling worried. Should he find Mrs Smith? Before he could do so, however, Emma appeared behind him, also looking worried. 

“What happened? Did you two have a fight?” 

“No! At least... I don't think so...” Rhydian said, confusedly. Emma chuckled. 

“I'll speak to her.” Rhydian smiled gratefully. 

“Thank you.” She opened Maddy's bedroom door and stepped inside. Rhydian hovered outside for a moment before deciding to go back outside and help Dan with the roof.

 

"What's up, pet?" Maddy looked up to see her mother's head poking round the door. She wiped her face with one hand, smearing tears across her cheek.

"Nothing." Emma walked across the room and sat on Maddy's bed beside her.

"Come on, you can tell me. It's him isn't it? He's reminded you of... Of home..." Maddy nodded, then shook her head.

"It's not just that. I feel weird. I don't know why, it's just, tingly. All over." Emma looked concerned.

"How long have you been feeling like this?"

"I don't know... A few days... It's been getting worse." Emma nodded and stood up.

"I need to have a few words with Rhydian." Her tone was suddenly frosty. Maddy stood up and put a hand on her mothers arm.

"Why? What is it?" 

"You're pregnant." Emma turned and walked out of the room without another word.

 

"Rhydian!" He looked down from where he was standing on the roof at the shout. It was Emma. He scrambled down the sloping roof and leapt lightly down to the ground.

"What is it? Is Maddy okay?" His face showed his concern as much as his voice.

"Well..." Emma paused, trying to find words suitable for her feelings. Rhydian took an involuntary step towards her.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Maddy's pregnant." All the colour drained from Rhydian's face.

"Wh- what?" He stammered.

"Pregnant." Emma's face was stony.

"Are... Are you serious?"

"I've never been more so."

Rhydian looked at her, helplessly, then dodged round her and ran into the house. She watched him go, knowing somehow that trying to stop him wouldn't help.

 

Rhydian knocked on Maddy's door. "Can I come in?"

She didn't reply for almost a minute. He was about to open the door regardless when it was opened for him.

"Maddy..." He couldn't think of anything to say, but simply stared down at her. She looked up into his face, tear tracks gleaming on her cheeks. Finally he pulled her into a rough embrace, hoping to convey all his emotions to her in this way rather than having to find the right words. After a few moments he felt her wrap her arms around him and squeeze tightly. He felt his heart rate slow down as he breathed in her familiar scent, calming him.

She sniffed loudly and leaned against him, trying not to let him know that she was crying. It was stupid, she knew he knew but she still tried to hide it.

After a while he loosened his arms around her and guided her over to the bed. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap where she curled up and pressed her face into his neck. He rubbed her back soothingly as she hiccupped herself into silence. Finally, she spoke.

"What did she say to you?"

"She, uh," Rhydian swallowed nervously, "she told me you're um, pregnant." She nodded.

"Yeah..." They looked at each other, unsure of what to do or say next.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For getting you pregnant." He stopped and looked at her. "It... It was me, was- wasn't it?"

"Yes," She looked away.

"Okay." Relief flooded through him.

"So, what, uh, what are you going to do?"

"You mean what are we going to do!" She corrected him, a trace of her usual smile returning. He grinned, reassured.

"Right!" She pressed her forehead to his and they remained in a now comfortable silence until Daniel looked in to announce dinner.


	6. Chapter 6

"I can't stay here." Rhydian, Emma and Dan looked up in surprise at the sudden disturbance of the silence that had settled uncomfortably over the dinner table.

"What do you mean?" Emma queried.

"I mean, I don't want to live here anymore. Why can't we go back to Stonybridge?" Emma and Dan exchanged nervous glances.

"Well, because our lives are here now." Daniel began.

"No! Your lives are here. You guys... You're happy here, but me... I miss my friends. I miss our house," Rhydian looked edgy for a moment, but no one noticed, "I miss school, I even miss the three Ks! Don't you miss it too?" She looked around the table, desperately.

"Look, you're hormonal because of the baby. Wolfbloods are affected worse than humans by pregnancy." Emma stated, calmly. 

Daniel nodded, "your mother was the same with both-" Emma shot him a look, "I mean, with you..." 

Maddy looked startled. "With both what?"

"Nothing-" began her father.

"You mean you were pregnant before... Before me?" Emma nodded and looked down, tears starting in her eyes.

"What happened?" Maddy breathed.

"This isn't the time for this discussion." Dan stood up and began collecting their plates, but Emma placed a hand on his arm.

"No... She has the right to know. She's old enough now." Daniel sat down beside her. Maddy stared at her parents, then looked down at her hands in her lap.

Rhydian stood up, drawing the attention of all three Smiths onto himself.

"I'll go," he said, "this sounds like a conversation for the family. I'll... I'll be outside." He finished lamely. He turned to leave, but Maddy grabbed his hand and pulled him back round.

"You're part of this family too." She said. Emma and Daniel nodded, quite unashamed. Slowly, Rhydian sat back down again.


	7. Chapter 7

Maddy turned back to look at her mother. "What happened?" She asked, quietly.

"You... We... I had another daughter. Before you were born. She was... Not your fathers." Dan looked away, as though the memory of this betrayal was still fresh. Maddy had sat back in her chair, shock all over her face. Rhydian found her under the table and squeezed it reassuringly. Emma continued.

"Her father, he was a wild wolfblood. He'd come to Stonybridge, a young alpha still growing into his role as leader. I was young and carefree, newly married but not so newly that the novelty had worn off. I was," She looked helplessly at her husband, "well, bored..." She trailed off as he looked at the table.

"Yes?" Maddy prompted, desperate to find out what had happened.

"We had sex." Emma was brief and straight to the point. "At a party. I think it was Dingxian Chen's, Jimi's father." Rhydian and Maddy exchanged incredulous looks in spite if the seriousness of the situation. "Anyway, he turned up half way through the party. I was drunk! I can't even remember it clearly." Emma hung her head in shame. Maddy reached across the table and patted her mother's hand. Emma paused before continuing. "Seven months later, I gave birth to-"

"Seven months?" Maddy interrupted.

"The wolfblood gestation period is shorter than in humans. Female wolfbloods often spend much more time in wolf form, as it makes it more comfortable. The wolf womb is designed to carry more than one cub at a time, you see, so there's plenty of room for one cub. This means they have a more wolflike pregnancy. Your mother had to spend most of her time as a human though, as she had to work in a human office." Daniel quickly filled in. Emma nodded.

"Almost as soon as she was born, I became pregnant again, with you. Your father had something to prove, I'm sure." She looked at her husband, an almost cheeky smile playing across her face. "And then you were born." She finished. Maddy frowned.

"But what happened to her? Why isn't she here? With us?"

"Because her father returned on your first birthday and took- took her away..." Emma's eyes overflowed and she turned away. Daniel pulled her into his arms and made gentle soothing noises. Maddy looked shocked, as though the ground under her feet had given way.

"He took her away? Back to the wild?" Her parents nodded. "So she's gone then... Did she have a name? What was her father's? You didn't tell me." Emma nodded again and pulled herself upright, away from her husbands embrace.

"Her father was Alric. Jana is your sister."


	8. Chapter 8

Maddy didn't remember standing up. She didn't remember staring at her parents, then shouting almost incomprehensible words at them. She didn't remember storming out of the kitchen to her room, collapsing on her bed and shaking with sobs. But she did remember Rhydian following her, pulling her into his arms and holding her so tight she thought he might never let her go. 

She knew Rhydian must be almost as shocked as she was. After all, he had known Jana better than she had. Jana was more a part of his pack than her own sister's. Sister? The word seemed strange. How often had she wished she had a sibling? And now that she knew she had one... She didn't even know what to think.

She became aware of wetness on the back of her neck. She turned her head to see Rhydian's bright blue eyes staring into her own, tears on his cheeks to. Guilt flooded through her. Why was it him comforting her? He was upset too, should be trying to comfort him. She turned around and wrapped her arms around him. She felt him tighten his embrace.

They lay there on her bed in silence for a long time, holding each other in the deepening darkness, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Rhydian broke the silence.

"I knew." Maddy pulled away from him sharply and stared at him incredulously. "Not directly!" Rhydian was quick to clarify, "but I knew Jana's mother was t- not wild." He amended quickly, "that was why Alric always hated humans and tame wolfbloods. He said her mother stole Jana from him when she was young. Now I know the truth... That must have been why Alric was so angry when I took Jana into the village! It makes sense now... God I've been so stupid!"

"No, you're not stupid. Theres no way you could have known." Maddy sat up and looked down at Rhydian. "I need to brush my teeth." Rhydian took this to mean she needed to be alone and stood up and left.

He wandered into the kitchen, not having any aim or real motivation. To his slight surprise, he found Mr and Mrs Smith still sitting at the table. They both looked up as he walked in. Not really sure what made him do it, he pulled out a chair and sat down. Mrs Smith had plainly been crying. Rhydian felt slightly uncomfortable sitting with them, but suddenly a question he hadn't realised he needed answered burst to the top of his mind.

"Did you meet my mother?" Emma looked at him, slightly confused. "When you... I mean when Alric was in Stonybridge? She would have been with the pack then." 

"Oh! Not the first time, no. But when Alric came for... For Jana, he brought the whole pack with him, including... Including cubs." Rhydian stared at her.

"Me?" He finally managed, "You saw me?" Dan nodded. 

"We did more than see you. When the wild pack left, it was all in a hurry. Ceri was just an omega wolf at the time, she was forced to leave quickly. And when she did..."

"She left me behind." Rhydian finished, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "Then it was you who..."

"No." Said Emma, quickly. "Someone else found you and alerted social services. If it had been us..."

"We would have taken you in." Dan finished, firmly. Rhydian looked at them helplessly. "You mean I could have had a different life? A wolfblood life?" Emma nodded again, tears in her eyes.

"If there had just been a few more minutes, we could have brought you up with Maddy, as one of our own." Rhydian looked down at the table, feeling tears pricking the back of his eyes.

"I..." He stood up, looking at what had so nearly been his adopted family. "Thank you." He left the kitchen.

Rhydian walked down the hallway and out of the house, not really noticing where he was going. Eventually he found himself at the base of a tall, broad pine tree, out of sight if the house. He looked up at the sky. It was after midnight. With a sigh, he climbed the tree and curled up in the base of one of its branches. It took him an hour to get to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Maddy awoke at five o'clock the next morning. She was cold without Rhydian's reassuring presence that she had become accustomed to over the past few weeks. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then frowned. Where was Rhydian? Come to think of it, he hasn't been there when she fell asleep either. Guilt flooded through her. How could she not have noticed? She stood up, slipped into her shoes, grabbed her coat and ran outside.

She sniffed. Rhydian's scent was faint, but she could still follow it.

Rhydian was only half asleep. His nose and ears were on the constant lookout for intruders, even though his mind and eyes rested. It was a trick he had perfected whilst living in the wild pack. He had used it too when he was searching for Maddy and her family.

Suddenly, he was wide awake. He sniffed, suddenly wary, all his sense on edge. What had woken him? He shifted position, ready to spring from the tree, all his muscles tensed.

A twig snapped in the distance. Rhydian could feel his veins pulsing with the wolf blood that made him what he was.

Maddy closed her eyes. How could she have missed that twig? She took the opportunity while she was paused to sniff the air again and find the scent. It was growing fainter, and was almost undetectable. Carefully, she took another step.

Rhydian didn't hear anything for another five minutes. He was beginning to relax, when suddenly his nose caught a faint scent. It was over 200 yards away, but was unmistakably wolfblood. Her bared his teeth, a growl rising at the back of his throat, hair beginning to bristle on the back of his neck.

Rhydian's scent was growing stronger. She was catching up with him. Or maybe he had stopped moving. Maybe he had been attacked! Maybe it was the same wild wolfbloods who had attacked him before! But no. She would have smelled them as well. Maybe he had fallen or was hurt some other way! With a shudder she remembered her dream: Rhydian with a broken leg, alon in the forest. One of her other nightmares had proven true, hadn't it? She quickened her pace.

The unknown wolfblood was moving faster now. Rhydian thought it was familiar, though it was still too distant to tell. Maybe it was one of the wild wolfbloods he had come across when he arrived. He shuddered and climbed stealthily to a higher branch.

Maddy ran, panic rising in her as she thought of all the possible situations she might come across. Rhydian's scent was now easy to follow. She ran into a clearing with a large, ancient pine in the centre and stopped.

"Rhydian?" Her voice was quavering in the night, tinged with fear. Suddenly, a dark shape fell from the sky and landed on the ground beside her with soft feet.

"Maddy?"

"Oh, Rhydian!" She ran to him, relief taking the place of the panic that had been building.

"What are you doing here?" Rhydian was bewildered. 

"I was looking for you! You weren't there... I was worried about you!" Rhydian grinned sheepishly then pulled her into a hug.

"I'm okay! You dont need to worry about me." She nodded into his chest then pulled away and took his hand.

"We should get back. It's almost light, Mam and Dad will be awake soon." He nodded and they set off through the trees together.


	10. Chapter 10

Neither Maddy nor Rhydian mentioned what had happened last night when they pretended to wake up the next morning. In truth, neither of them had gone to sleep when they got back, but had laid in bed together in a comfortable silence.

Just as they began to hear movement from Maddy's parents room, Rhydian pressed his lips to Maddy's ear and whispered "I'm sorry." 

She looked at him in surprise. "What for?"

"For leaving last night. I should have told you where I was going."

"Yeah, you should." Maddy's tone was playful. "Right, get up!" She sat up, her hair tousled and messy. He smiled up at her, wondering how she could be so beautiful.

 

Maddy didn't dare broach the subject of Stonybridge for almost a week. At last, on the day of the full moon, she approached her father.

"Will we ever be able to go back home?" She asked him. He frowned down at her.

"You mean Stonybridge?" She nodded. He took a deep breath. "Well, I suppose it is safe now. Rhydian told us Whitewood is working for Segolia, and if he's right in saying that Liam can be trusted, then we could, technically return." He looked doubtful.

"Technically?" Maddy was downcast.

"I dont think your mother and I will ever go back." He said with a sigh. "I can't say I dont miss it, but we've moved on. You... Until recently I'd thought you'd stay with us too, but now I can see. You're almost a grown up. You and Rhydian, you're your own people. If what you need to do is to return to England, then that's what you should do. It's just... Your mother and I, we can't come with you." Maddy looked away.

"I understand. This is where you guys belong now." She gave her father an unexpected hug, then walked away. He watched her leave with unprecedented sadness. His little cub was not a cub anymore.


	11. Chapter 11

Next, Maddy tried to talk to her mother about it. Emma, however, was much less willing to let Maddy have her own way.

"You may not be a cub anymore," she said, after hearing the familiar protest for what felt like the hundredth time, "but you are still only sixteen."

"Rhydian's nearly seventeen." Maddy muttered under her breath.

"Yes, but that's still too young to leave the country and live by yourselves!" Maddy stared at her mother in disbelief.

"Rhydian spent weeks on his own trying to find us out here!"

"And he almost died!" Emma practically screamed at her daughter.

"We won't be on our own, we'll have each other! And we won't be living in the wild, either, we'll be able to live in our old house, and go to college, and get jobs, we'll be fine!" Emma hesitated. She knew that what Maddy was saying had a certain amount of sense, but she was reluctant to let her go, or to admit defeat.

"Well... You're not going anywhere until after this cub is born." She turned away, confident that Maddy would not argue the point. When she didn't hear a reply, however, she turned back and found herself faced with a young wolf, sitting and staring calmly at her. She stared at Maddy in disbelief, then walked away, realising that there was no way she could talk Maddy out of this.

Maddy padded outside to find Rhydian taking a break from waterproofing the roof. The new room was almost finished. Rhydian saw her coming and jumped down beside her. She transformed into her usual form and looked up at him, beadily.

"I'm going to spend the next ten weeks or so as a wolf." She announced. He looked at her, startled.

"What for?"

"That's how long wolves are pregnant for. Remember, Dad said the longer a pregnant wolfblood spends as a wolf, the shorter the pregnancy will be!" Rhydian nodded.

"Why are you in such a rush? It can't be uncomfortable yet, you're not even, you know..." He gestured to her stomach, "big, yet!" She burst out laughing.

"It's not, but Mam said once the cub's born, we can go home!"

"I thought your dad said your parents weren't going home?" Rhydian was getting more and more confused.

"No, they're not..." She looked sad for a moment, "but we can! Just you and me!" Rhydian grinned at her. 

"I never thought they'd let you go!"

"Me neither! I can't believe we're really going to go home..." She sighed. 

"We'll, you've got a baby to make!" She laughed and transformed into a wolf before his eyes.

"Oi, Rhydian! Break's over! Back to work!" Rhydian turned and climbed back up onto the roof.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to write, I wasn't sure how to write it! Now that it's done, hopefully the next few updates will come quicker though!

The next ten weeks seemed to drag by, especially for Rhydian. He had stepped up to do Maddy's chores as well as his own tasks unquestioningly, but this meant he had almost no time to spare to spend with her. As the wolf cub grew inside her, her appetite grew, and Rhydian hunted almost twice as often to satisfy her hunger. He and Dan had finished the new room two days after Maddy had begun to spend all her time as a wolf, so the pair of them didn't sleep in the same room. (Emma had forbidden Maddy point blank to move to Rhydian's room, although she knew that this was fairly pointless; Maddy was already pregnant after all.  
Finally, Eight and a half weeks after Rhydian moved into his own room, he was woken in the middle of the night by a wolf's howl.

“Maddy!” He leapt out of bed and ran to her room, where he converged with Emma and Daniel. Maddy was sitting on her bed, her wolf's eyes wide. Emma knelt beside her. 

“Maddy, you need to transform! It'll be more difficult but that way the cub will be born in human form! It has to be born as a human, or it will stay a wolf until it's old enough to transform!” Maddy shook her head, eyes wide with panic. Rhydian joined Emma on the floor.

“Please, Maddy! It'll be over soon, I promise! And then...” He didn't finish his sentence. Suddenly, Maddy was sitting on the bed before them, her long hair over her face as she breathed in deeply. Despite himself, Rhydian grinned. He was so happy to see her in human form again. He took her hand and squeezed it. “It's going to be okay.” she looked at him gratefully, but didn't seem to be able to speak.

Emma looked at her husband. “get me all the painkillers from the bathroom cupboard.” she ordered. He left the doorframe where he had been hovering uncertainly. He returned seconds later clutching four boxes of tablets. Emma popped a few tablets from their packets and handed them to Maddy, who swallowed them without a word. The four of them stayed, motionless, waiting. Then Maddy let out a low moan of pain. Rhydian looked at Emma for help. 

“Okay Rhydian, I'm going to need you to get me some hot water.” she said, with a meaningful look at her husband. Rhydian stood up, looking back at Maddy. Emma moved, making her daughter lie back on the bed. Maddy's eyes met Rhydian's just as Dan closed the door between them. Rhydian had never wanted to leave her side less.

Once they were in the kitchen, Dan made Rhydian sit in a chair at the table.

“But the water...” Rhydian protested.

“She was just saying that to get you out of the room.” said Dan, wisely. “Right now you'd be more of a hindrance than a help to Maddy. Emma will get her through it. She'll be okay.” He smiled encouragingly. Rhydian summoned a small smile in return.  
The half hour that followed seemed to Rhydian to be longer than the weeks that had preceded it. Due to his heightened wolfblood senses, he was able to hear every sound that went on in Maddy's room. On a number of occasions he made as if to re-enter the room, but was forced back into his chair by Dan. He heard Emma giving her encouragement, heard her sobbing protests and cries of pain, heard- another cry, unfamiliar. He looked at Dan, hopeful that he hadn't missed the noise. Dan's ears were pricked too and the two shared a look of joy.

It was ten minutes later that Emma walked in, smiling broadly and said that they could go in to see her. Rhydian practically sprinted from the kitchen to Maddy's bedroom. He stopped outside the closed door, trying to muster the willpower to open the door.

“I can smell you out there you know!” came Maddy's voice, sounding tired. He could hear the smile in her voice. Nervously, he turned the handle and opened the door.  
Maddy was sitting on her bed, propped up by pillows, holding a tiny bundle of blankets and looking as though she had just been given a million pounds. Rhydian couldn't help but smile. He crossed the room in three strides and sat down at her side.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine! Honestly, I don't think I've ever been happier.” She looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms, smiling fondly.

“And... and is it...” 

“A girl.” she said, looking up into his eyes.

“What's her name?”

“She's only just been born, Rhydian!” Maddy's eyes were twinkling. “Besides, it's not just up to me, you know!”

He looked at her blankly. “What do you-” 

“She's your cub as well as mine! Come on, you must have had some thoughts!” The truth was, Rhydian had not so much as considered the baby itself. He would never admit it to her, but his only thoughts had been to make the pregnancy as easy as possible for Maddy and then to go home. His mind raced.

“Well... She should have a name that represents both her wild side and her inheritance from you,” He began, “To symbolise the joining two worlds.” Maddy's eyes were sparkling now, and she nodded.

“A unique name, to represent her unique heritage!” Rhydian smiled and nodded. “She should be at peace with the wild.”

“Alanna Sylvana. It means peacemaker from the forest.” Maddy looked up at him, then down at the child in her arms.

“Alanna Sylvana,” she whispered, “It's perfect.” Rhdyian smiled and put his arms gently around the two of them- his girls. Maddy laid her head on his shoulder, smiling contentedly, her eyes closing, and in that moment he knew he would do anything for the two of them, go to the ends of the earth if he had to. But he didn't say anything, just looked down at Maddy and their daughter, and he thought his heart would burst from love.


	13. Chapter 13

Emma kept Maddy confined to her bed for two days after the birth of Alanna. Rhydian stayed with her almost constantly. Emma didn't bother to put up a fuss about sharing a bed anymore, she had come to realise that it didn't matter anyway. Not a word was said about neglected duties either, both of Maddy's parents knew that it was pointless to remind the young couple.

Four days after Maddy was allowed back on her feet, she spoke at the dinner table once again.

“So Mam,” she began, looking steadily at her mother, “You said, once Alanna was born, Rhydian and I could move back to Stonybridge.” Emma refused to meet her gaze.

“Not straight away! You're not old enough... not experienced enough!” Maddy glared at her.

“We are too old enough! We're both sixteen, remember!”

“No!” this time it was not Emma, but Dan who had spoken. The others all looked at him in surprise.

“Maddy, you and Rhydian are great parents to Alanna, we've seen that already, but like your mother says, you're too inexperienced! Give it another month at least, and we'll see where we are then.” Emma nodded her approval. Maddy growled something under her breath, but it was so soft that none of them could hear it, not even with their wolfblood hearing.

Once Maddy was allowed to move around again, Rhydian threw himself into his work with a vengeance. He seemed determined to prove that he was responsible, experienced, hardworking enough to support Maddy and their daughter.  
Maddy took to following Rhydian around whatever he was doing, carrying Alanna with her, as though to show her all she could of this house before they returned to England.

Rhydian had been surprised when Emma asked him to bring home something small like a rat or a stoat for Alanna.

“Should she be eating solid food? I mean she's not much more than a week old...”

Emma fixed him with a piercing gaze, “Do you remember when you were living with the Vaughns and you had cravings for meat?” He nodded, “It's a wolfblood thing. Cravings start very early on. She'll get fussy if she doesn't get meat soon.”

At long last, Emma tearfully admitted that there would be no real point in Rhydian, Maddy and Alanna remaining in the cottage in the mountains.  
Daniel had fashioned a sort of sling for Alanna which bound her tightly to Maddy's back when in wolf form. Maddy and Rhydian had very few things they wished to take with them; the few valued items were stuffed in pockets or into Alanna's sling as the four wolves ran together over the mountain and down towards the city.

“Get a phone, so we can call you!” Maddy said, tearfully to her parents. Rhydian shook hands solemnly with the pair of them, but was startled to be pulled into a tight hug by Emma.

“Take care of our girl, won't you Rhydian... and your own girl too...”   
He nodded, fighting back tears. “I will.” Too many times he had been separated from his pack, he now felt that he had three, none of which would be united with the others.

“Flight 202 is now ready for boarding at gate 8” came the bored voice over the tannoy system.

“That's us!” Maddy tried to smile through her tears.

“Go on! You don't want to miss your flight!” Maddy rushed forward and hugged both her parents before turning away, slipping her hand into Rhydian's. He looked back as they headed off across the airport.

Emma leaned her head against her husband's shoulder. “Our cub... she's all grown up! Flown the nest...”   
Daniel looked down at her and planted a kiss on the top of her head. “She's not a cub anymore...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost died of emotions writing this, I hope you guys enjoyed it!


	14. Chapter 14

Maddy and Rhydian held hands as the plane flew over the vast expanse of ocean below. From time to time one of them would peer through the window but all they could see was clouds and sea. Maddy had stopped crying once they were in the air. Rhydian had done his best to confort her, but he wasn't sure what he could do or say to amend the situation. After all, he knew only too well from past experience that the only way to ease her pain was to reunite her with her family. He had offered to stay, said that if where she needed to be was with her family, then that was where they would be. But she had remained adamant that what she needed to do was see her friends in Stonybridge.

He had had to tell her about Ceri and Gerwyn living in the Smiths old house, although he had omitted to mention that Jana lived there as well. She had simply shrugged.

“It would have been two big for us anyway. I just hope they look after it!”   
Rhydian looked down at her now. She was sleeping with Alanna in her lap, also asleep. Rhydian smiled down at them both and resumed watching the endless clouds speed below them.

At some point, he must have drifted off too because next thing he knew he was being shaken awake by Maddy.

“Oi! Rhydian! We're just coming in to land!” He looked at her and began to laugh. He wasn't sure why, but suddenly he was grinning and the he was laughing. She looked at him with a bemused expression, and soon she was laughing too.

The two of them plus Alanna stepped out of the airport and stared around them, blinking in the light.

“What happens now?” Maddy asked, blankly. Rhydian looked uncomfortable. He hadn't planned this far ahead. Now that they were in the right country, no means of getting to Stonybridge. They could run, of course, but it was a long way, too far for Alanna to cope with being strapped to a wolf's back. Suddenly, they heard a voice from behind them.

“Rhydian?” they both turned, snarling. Jimi Chen was behind them, walking beside a man they recognised as his father. “Maddy? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Canada!”

“We came back,” said Rhydian, defensively, “we came home.” Jimi nodded.

“That much is evident,” he said with a sneer, “So how are you getting there? Walking? You don't look like you could afford the bus fare!” Jimi's father was regarding them solemnly. At this, he spoke.

“Don't be foolish, Jin Gau. We can give them a ride. We're going to Stonybridge, they can some with us.” Rhydian and Maddy looked nervously at Mr Chen.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course! It would be ridiculous to leave you here to find your own way there! Besides, the amount that Jin Gau talks about you, I'd like to meet your for myself.” Maddy and Rhydian exchanged glances, then followed Jimi and his father to the carpark.

“So, whose is the baby?” sneered Jimi as is father pulled out of the carpark onto the main road. Rhydian looked him in the face.

“Mine.” he replied, as though daring Jimi to suggest that Maddy would be unfaithful.

“Can't be, you were only gone for six months... unless... oh!” Maddy nervously turned Alanna's face towards her, hoping that Jimi would not realise that she was only a month old. Rhydian felt uneasy. He hadn't foreseen this problem. 

“I was pregnant when I left,” Maddy piped up, “so I had Alanna in Canada. Rhydian didn't know until he got there.” Jimi nodded, seeming satisfied with this explanation.

“How come you decided to move back here?” he asked.

“We missed you and your delightful comments.” Mr Chen looked at his son. Maddy thought she'd blown their ride, but to her surprise, she saw pride in his eyes. He had missed her sarcasm. Jimi didn't say another word until the car rolled into Stonybridge.

 

Nerves flooding her brain, Maddy climbed out of the car and picked up Alanna, who was now sleeping soundly, while Rhydian bent his head to thank Mr Chen. Jimi scowled at her out of his window. She smiled sarcastically at him. He turned away.   
Once the car pulled away and drove off, Maddy and Rhydian looked at each other.

“So... where do we go?”

“We can go to your... your old house. Mum and Dad will be happy to let us stay there. If you want them to, they'll leave, they know they're only borrowing it...”

“No, they can stay. And yes, I'd like to go there.” He smiled at her and took her hand, leading her on well trodden paths through the woods to her old home.


	15. Chapter 15

Rhydian hesitated before knocking on the front door. He wasn't really sure why, perhaps it was due to his absence, or the fact that he and Maddy were now parents. Maddy looked at him expectantly and he rapped on the door with his knuckles. He heard movement through the door and smelled a wolfblood approaching.  
“Rhydian?” Ceri stood in the doorway. Rhydian smiled down at her; he had grown whilst away, even without noticing.  
“Mum.” He enveloped her in a hug. Then she noticed Maddy and Alanna. She looked down at her granddaughter with tears building in her eyes. Then she ushered them inside.

Maddy looked around as she entered her old house. Almost nothing had changed; Ceri and Gerwyn hadn't moved any of the furniture, redecorated anything or even moved books on the bookshelves. Only the smell of the place was different, instead of her family's familiar scent, the place smelled of Rhydian's parents, but it was a comforting scent that reminded Maddy of the wild.

That night, once Maddy had put Alanna to sleep, the four wolfbloods stayed downstairs and talked for hours, until Maddy fell asleep at the table. Rhydian carried her upstairs and fell asleep beside her a short while later, more comfortable than her had been in weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for such a short chapter today! I've been having trouble thinking of what happens immediately after their arrival back in Stonybridge, so I haven't written much. However, I am going away for ten days, so i won't be able to get anything written, and I thought you guys should get something at least, and an explanation for my absence. Sorry again about the length!


	16. Chapter 16

Rhydian woke in the middle of the night, unsure what had woken him. He lay in bed for a few moments, his body perfectly motionless, only his eyes moving, ears straining to hear. Then he heard it. Muffled voices, barely audible over the sounds of the house and its sleeping inhabitants. Carefully, so as not to wake Maddy, he climbed out of bed and crept to the window. In the distance at the bottom of the garden, he could see two figures walking past, heading towards the woods. He waited until they were past the first few trees, then slowly opened the window and climbed out of it. Leaping lightly to the ground, feet barely making a sound, he followed the two figures he had seen by into the woods, ears pricked, nose sniffing the air. The wind was blowing in the other direction, damnit, but there were still traces of scent on the air, just enough for him to tell that the pair were human. Then, he heard a faint voice up ahead.

“... baby too, girl I th... ...ydian didn't seem to think it could be... ...can't wait til this gets out... ...can't wait to tell everyone...” Jimi. Rhydian's fists balled and his upper lip curled, but he didn't move. The voices seemed to have stopped moving. Rhydian crept a little closer to hear better.

“This is the place.” Another voice this time, also familiar to Rhydian. “Nothing man made for almost a mile. I checked. I promise there is no way anyone will see.”

“Are you sure?” Jimi sounded almost... nervous? There was a pause. Then, “Thank you. For doing this. I didn't think it meant that much to you.” There was a noise that sounded like a snort of laughter.

“Jimi... you know I'd do anything for you!” Then, so quietly, Rhydian hardly heard it, “I love you.” Rhydian froze. He felt conflicted. Did he really want to witness this? The honest answer was yes, but there was a small part of him that respected even Jimi's right to a private personal life. Then he remembered what he had overheard a short time earlier, and something resembling a grin slid onto his face. Slowly and carefully, so as not to make a sound, he crept closer.  
There had not been a word from the two people he was following for almost a minute when Rhydian finally poked his head round from behind a tree and saw... Jimi... locked in a tight embrace... and kissing... Sam? 

Rhydian stared in shock. His whole body seemed to have frozen. So this was why the couple had wanted to be so far from prying eyes. Sam moved his head slightly towards Rhydian, though his eyes were closed. Rhydian seemed to unfreeze. He turned tail and ran, not caring how much noise he made. He heard startles yells behind him but ran on. They would not catch him. 

He arrived in front of Maddy's house and began to climb the vines that ran up the wall below the window he had left open. Quietly, he pulled the window closed and turned round, intending to get back into bed without waking Maddy, but jumped when he saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, looking stern. That was a face he didn't want to mess with. He swallowed nervously. She raised her eyebrow.

“It was Jimi. Jimi and Sam. Kissing in the woods. I followed them because they were walking past and Jimi said to Sam that he was going to tell everyone you've been sleeping around and I followed them and they KISSED...” Rhydian realised he was babbling and stopped, making eye contact. Maddy looked sceptical.

“And you didn't wake me up to see all of this with you?” She grinned. Rhydian laughed and sat down beside her.

“I am truly sorry for that. To make amends, I feel like we have some revenge to cook up and some deals to plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update, I've been away without internet *gasp* but now i'm back and i plan to continue writing as before!   
> This chapter has been a long time coming. Jimi x Sam has been my own personal pairing based on how they acted together in some parts of the show, but i haven't been able to find anyone else who shares my thoughts on this. I'd been meaning to fit that into this story somehow, and I plan on developing that maybe too, later on. Anyway. until next time, adios, folks!


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning Maddy and Rhydian woke up early. Maddy fed and dressed Alanna then handed her into Ceri's care for the day. Rhydian paused at the door before leaving with Maddy.

“Mum... do you know where Jana is? I know Maddy hasn't asked but... she wants to know. I'm sure.” 

Ceri looked startled. “Why?” 

Rhydian looked at his feet, regretting having brought the subject up. “Jana... Do you know who Jana's mother is?” 

Ceri sighed. “Well, no. Alric refused to talk about her. He said that she was from another pack but always refused to say more. Do you know something, Rhydian?”

Rhydian nodded slowly. “Jana's mother is... Emma.” Ceri looked at him uncomprehendingly. “Maddy's mum,” he explained, “Jana is Maddy's half sister.” 

Ceri looked shocked. “Does she know?”

“Maddy knows, I don't know about Jana though...”

“Do you think she ought to know?” Rhydian looked at his mother disparagingly. “I meant, do you think it's wise for you to tell her?”

“She needs to know, no matter how. Maddy should be the one to tell her by right, but if she doesn't want to...”

“You will.” finished Ceri, nodding. “Good. I don't know where she is today though. She's been on training commissions for Segolia for a while now, this one's lasted almost a week. They said it shouldn't take more than about ten days though, so she'll be back soon I expect.” 

Rhydian nodded, then turned and walked to the bottom of the garden where Maddy was waiting.

“What was that about?” she asked curiously as they set off.

“I was asking my Mum if she knew where Jana is.”

Maddy shot him a sharp look. “Why?”

“I just... wanted to see her. That's all.”

“You're a terrible liar, Rhydian. I know why you did it. I... Thank you.” 

He looked down at her to see her smiling up at him. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. “So, where are we going first?”


	18. Chapter 18

When they reached Shannon's front door, Maddy reached to knock, then paused, her hand almost oh the wood. She looked at Rhydian, who gestured her to proceed.

“I can't...”

“Why not?”

“What if... what if she's moved? Or isn't in? What if she doesn't want to be my friend anymore? What if she doesn't remember me?”

Rhydian shook his head in disbelief and rapped hard on the door with his own knuckles. They heard movement from inside. Maddy slipped her hand into Rhydian's, who squeezed it gently.

Shannon's mother opened the door. For a moment, she was silent, staring at the two teenagers on her doorstep. Then she turned and called into the house.

“Shannon!” She ushered Rhydian and Maddy into the house, smiling at the pair.

A pair of feet appeared at the top of the stairs. Maddy recognised the socks- she had given them to Shannon as a Christmas present two years ago.

Shannon took a few steps down the stairs, then froze.

“Rhydian?” then her gaze moved and she shrieked. “Maddy!” she pelted down the last few stairs and threw her arms around her best friend.

 

Two hours later, the three of them were outside Tom's house.

“He should be in, we were going to go into town later.” Said Shannon as she walked up the garden path and rang the doorbell. There was no answer. She frowned and pressed the button again. “That did ring, didn't it?” she asked the two wolfbloods.

Rhydian nodded, wincing slightly. “They've replaced the batteries in that since I left... it definitely didn't used to be that loud.” 

Maddy nodded in agreement. “You can take your finger off Shan, there's no way they can miss that!”

Shannon frowned. “I'm not pressing it! And I can't hear anything.”

Maddy pressed her hands over her ears as Rhydian screwed up his face in discomfort. Shannon looked alarmed.

“Look, maybe we should go, this doesn't feel good...” But before she could finish her sentence, both wolfbloods collapsed.


	19. Chapter 19

Tom woke up in the dark. He frowned. This wasn't right. Where was the glow from the street lamp outside his window? Why wasn't his bedside clock flashing it's numbers at him? Where was the crack of familiar light under his bedroom door?

He sat up and immediately there was light. Not soft light from his lamp or the street light, but a hard, penetrating, white light that stabbed at his brain through his very eyes and seemed to dry out his skin as he flinched.

“Good morning, Tom.” A quiet voice spoke from behind him. Tom span round, eyes wide even in the glaring brightness of the room. A woman stood by the wall, leaning against it almost casually.

“Where am I?” He asked her. She shrugged and her long red hair shifted on her shoulders and Tom gasped. “Jana?” she nodded slowly. “What are you doing here?”

“I have no idea. I woke up here about four days ago, haven't seen anyone or done anything until you arrived this morning.”

They were saved the necessity of speaking any more when the walls began to move.

*****

Shannon screamed. She ran to Maddy and shook her shoulder. She turned to Rhydian but he was equally unresponsive. She found Maddy's phone in her pocket and scrolled through it trying to find a number for Emma or Daniel, but nothing came up. She pulled out Rhydian's phone, unsure what she was looking for but desperate for something to help her two friends. One number surfaced and Shannon stared at it, unsure for a moment before dialling.

“Hi, Rhydian!” Dacia's chirpy voice sounded in Shannon ear. She opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything, the phone was knocked from her hand as a boot made contact with the side of her face and another came down on her wrist. Shannon screamed as she felt her bone break. Hands seized her roughly from behind and she was dragged backwards, away from the unconscious forms of Maddy and Rhydian as the world faded to black.

*****

Maddy opened her eyes to see two scared blue ones staring down at her.

“Get off me, Rhydian,” She muttered.

“Sorry...” Rhydian mumbled, moving out of her field of vision. She sat up and immediately fell back as dizziness flooded her. Rhydian caught her before her head hit the floor and pulled her up against him.

“What happened?”

“I... I don't know... I think it was something to do with the doorbell...” Maddy winced at the memory. Terrible sound, so loud, yet so high pitched that Shannon, with her human hearing, had been unaffected by it. Shannon...

“Is Shannon here?” Rhydian hesitated. Maddy looked alarmed. 

“Well, yes...”

“What do you mean? Is she alright?” Rhydian shook his head.

“She's unconscious, I think they knocked her out... and her wrist's broken. I tried to do something, but I'm not a healer...” Maddy could tell he was trying not to show her how much he was panicking and somehow this calmed her down.

“Okay, let me try, my mum showed me some healing...” She crawled over to where Shannon lay, blood covering one side of her face. Dread rose up inside Maddy. What if Shannon died? She was Maddy's best friend...

Rhydian had put Shannon in the recovery posistion. Maddy almost smiled. Then her eyes fell on Shannon's wrist. Broken wasn't the right word for it... The impact of the boot had smashed what seemed like half the bones in her arm. As gently as she could, Maddy took her friend's arm and straightened it out.

“Rhydian, take off your shirt.” Rhydian did so without question. Maddy took it and tore off a strip. She wadded it up and pressed it against the wound on the side of Shannon's face. Tearing off another strip, she used it as a bandage to tie round Shannon's head. Then, for the first time, she looked around the room they were in.

“Can you find me something straight and flat?” She asked. Rhydian nodded and jumped to his feet, scanning the room. It was practically bare, but for a chair and a table, and in the corner, a grubby looking toilet. Rhydian seized the chair and smashed it against the wall. He grabbed a handful of the larger fragments and handed them to Maddy.

“Thanks.” Using the longer, flatter pieces of wood, she fashioned a makeshift splint and carefully bandaged Shannon's arm. Shannon groaned as Maddy tied off the bandage using the last fragment of Rhydian's shirt. 

Rhydian crouched down beside her and looked anxiously at her. “Are you alright?”

She nodded. “I'm fine.”

“Because you just woke up after some freaky shit that knocked you out, to find your best friend unconscious and injured, and you just dealt with it like it was no biggie, I mean, I'm freaking out here but you're so calm...”

Maddy half smiled as she took Rhydian's hand in her own. “I would probably be crying in a corner right now if you weren't with me.” She admitted. He chuckled but before they could say anything else, the walls began to move.


	20. Chapter 20

Though the blank walls had no decoration or markings, Maddy could tell that they were rising... or was the floor sinking? Rhydian laid a hand against the walls and felt the smooth surface slide beneath his fingers.

“We need to get Shannon out of here!” Maddy cried.

“How? There's no door!” Rhydian was gazing at the ceiling. “I think there's another room above us...”

“So what? For all we know the floor of that room might be about to squash us!” Rhydian wasn't listening. He picked up a chair leg from the floor and began to scratch at the paint.

* * * * *

Jana had stepped forward into the centre of the room, away from the wall. 

“What's happening?” asked Tom.

“This is how they put us in here, I think. I don't remember properly...” 

“What's that on the wall?” Tom stood up, suddenly. A single word was scratched into the paint. “Help...”

* * * * * 

Rhydian watched his message disappear behind the ceiling, hoping that someone would notice it.

“Rhydian, what are you doing?” He turned to Maddy who was kneeling beside Shannon. Shannon was stirring. Rhydian went to her other side.

“Shannon?” Maddy said, tentatively. The girl on the floor groaned, then opened her eyes.

“Maddy? What...” She gasped suddenly and screwed up her eyes in pain. Maddy looked alarmed.

“Shan... your arm's broken. I splinted it but we don't have any painkillers or proper bandages or anything...” She glanced at Rhydian, feeling guilty that she had had to use his shirt, but also slightly not guilty at all as she saw him there... She forced her eyes back to Shannon. “You also had a head injury but I can't...” She bit her lip.

“What... Why can't I go to a hospital?”

“We...” Rhydian hesitated, “We think we've been... kidnapped... so we can't...” Shannon's eyes widened.

“Kidnapped? By who?” She tried to push herself up with her good arm, but Maddy pushed her back down.

“You need to keep as still as possible... and we don't know yet...”

The three of them jolted as the floor jerked to a stop. 

* * * * * 

Tom looked at Jana. “Help...” He repeated. She looked nervous.

“That's new... That's definitely new...”

“Who wrote it?”

“I don't know! I find it difficult enough to recognise my friend's handwriting, how am I going to tell a person from scratchings on the wall?” 

“I don't...” 

“Hang on...” Jana frowned and ran over to the wall where the letters were now at head height. She sniffed and her eyes widened.

“Rhydian...”

“What?” 

“Rhydian wrote this... or Rhydian was here...” She gasped.

“What?”

“Blood... there's blood...”

“Rhydian's blood?”

She shook her head. “No... I don't think so... I don't know...”

Suddenly, she was jerked off her feet as the floor came to a violent halt.


	21. Chapter 21

Maddy and Rhydian looked up. On one side of the room, the wall was absent. Past where the wall should have been was another room, but this one so large it could have been a cathedral or a warehouse. On second thoughts, Maddy thought it probably was. Rhydian stood up and walked towards the gap, but Maddy called him back.

“Wait! We don't know what's out there...”

“Good point, Maddy Smith.” A figure stepped out of the gloom beyond the wall as it spoke. Maddy gasped. “However, you cannot stay in there.” He pointed up. Maddy looked up. The floor had stopped moving, but the ceiling had not.

“Rhydian!” He followed her gaze and ran back toward her and Shannon. Between them, they managed to get Shannon on her feet and ran towards the figure. Maddy felt the roof come down on the heel of her shoe as she ducked out and pulled her foot away just before the shoe was pulled down below the floor. Hopping on one foot, she turned, expecting to see a solid wall where they had just come from, but instead, she saw...

* * * * * 

“Maddy?” Tom was in shock. What was Maddy doing here? She was meant to be in Canada! But then again, so was Rhydian...

“Tom? Jana! What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Ask him.” Everyone turned to Rhydian, who was scowling at the man who had beckoned them from the room. Maddy saw that his shoulders were hunched as they always were when he was angry. Black lines were beginning to appear on the back of his neck. Maddy took a step towards him.

“Rhydian, you're wolfing out...” She hissed, low enough that only he could hear.

“I don't care!” He shouted, clenching his fists, which were also showing black veins on the backs of his hands. She covered his left hand with her own, trying to hide it.

“Oh, don't bother, Maddy. I know what you are.” She turned to face the man who had spoken and a growl rose in her own throat, unbidden. She looked down at her own hands and hastily buried them in her coat pockets. “Please, I would be intrigued to see your transformations!” It was all the wolfbloods needed to hear. Suddenly, three wolves were leaping, a brown, a blond and a red. The man raised his hand and clicked his fingers. Jana, Maddy and Rhydian fell back, yelping.

Maddy got to her feet and shook her head to clear it of the ringing in her ears. The sound had not been at the same pitch as when Shannon had triggered it with the doorbell, but it had still given her a headache. She saw Jana also shaking her head, and Rhydian sitting on the floor looking dazed, once again in human form. She saw Tom kneeling beside Shannon, who was sitting up and walked over to Rhydian, transforming once again as she knelt before him.

“Are you okay?” He focused his eyes on her and nodded slowly. Maddy whipped her head round to face their attacker, lips curled back in a snarl, teeth bared, ready to strike once again, but Rhydian's fingers closed over her wrist. “Don't.”

Jana was still standing, also in human form, but she was swaying. 

“Why have you brought us here?” Tom's voice was unexpected, and uncharacteristically harsh. 

“Ah, now that is a question worth answering.”


End file.
